A little Terranova show and tell!
Some Silver Plum in all its wonder!
A little more Terranova. I really enjoy the subtle hues in this glass. Greens and purpley burgundies into gorgeous blues mmm nice...
Monday night I was surprised by my old friend migraine. I was busy doing some work on the computer and I realized part of the screen was missing. I was seeing "the hole" Part of my vision just fills in with a blank for lack of a better description. I used to have migraines often in my mid-twenties and I could always tell one was coming on for sure by running and looking at myself in a mirror. Part of my face would be gone from my field of vision. The next thing to come would be "lights" out of the corner of my eye, kind of like looking at a lightbulb and then away. From there it just gets more fun, numbness in various body parts and sometimes words don't make any sense. I usually just shut up and lie down.
So Monday night I squinted one eye printed what I needed and went to bed at about 6:00 pm. I dozed and awakened feeling better at about 8:45 pm I was surprised that I felt better so I got up had a light snack and then it started again!!! First the hole then the lights. Never have I had two in a row like that I still feel a little out of it and It is Thursday two days later.
I have things to do I don't have time for migraine prison right now dammit!!!

I'd much rather have a stack of beads than a stack of pancakes :) This shape has been my favorite lately and I have seriously drifted away from my usual petite bead sets. I have become a focal makin' fool. I used to test combos on small round beads but lately these have become my "test beads" The shape is superslim and they feel so cool in my hands. Like a worrystone, they are soothing and beautiful to look at too.

A flame pendant~ These are kind of fun to make but I don't make them very often though :) Custom beads for one of my best customers~
Some more custom beads for a friend :)
Earrings to match a pendant that Sue and I made~
And now for my next trick! I will continue to be super busy as we leave for Delaware (Yay Dewey!) at the end of the month. My new dichroic images came this week so now I need to get busy and melt them onto some beads and stoppers. I'll show you if I have any free time.
Free time? What is that... lol

A few beads in a pile for lack of a picture of my big goofy Lab/Dane cross!! Right now he is playing scaredy dog~ all 90 pounds of him!! He is rumbling deep and low in his throat of course that culminates in a piercing girly bark that is quite shrill. He has developed a fear of the string trimmer. Yes the Weedeater!!! We are inside and the crew is out doing the lawn like they do every week. Claude has never been hurt by the trimmer or even outside while they are using it so I don't understand why he has developed this fear and the urgent need to "tell" me about it. Ah well maybe the thing is making some noise only he can hear? Maybe he thinks he hears a hive of bees coming, who knows? I love him anyway silly dog~
I was working away at glass this morning and actually almost finished with my pre-lunch goal when I realized my propane was running low. Aack!!! I have a lot to make now is not a good time to run out!!! But it is also a good excuse to get caught up on a few other things I have been putting off. So back to that I go :)

A new love for making focals has been awakened! Don't know if I can stop so I hope you like them as much as I do :) Some close ups of my most favorite ones...
mmm...
ahhh...
Just in case you are wondering and in a panic because you noticed most of the items in my etsy shop have vanished! I thought I would let you all know I have taken all of the jewelry items out of the etsy shop for a few days. They are way overdue for some fresh air so I am taking them to Lincoln City where they will have a day in the sun and feel the cool kiss of the ocean breeze...
Some of them will find new homes and never return...
The rest will be back later next week~
Seeya!

What a gorgeous red! I was so excited to see this one when i pulled it from the kiln :) Metallic bronze! I cannot do this justice with a camera. Imagine my surprise and elation when my new muddy green glass turned into this fabulous color! I may never leave the studio again.
The last two inches of the Frosty Blue I won at Frantz last year. I have found a replacement made by CIM glass so I suppose it was okay to finish it off at last...
Ahh Silver Cinnamon~ With a name like that how could anyone resist? It sounds warm and rich and the color that I got out of it certainly follows that line of thinking. Yum!!!
A big handful of my Sunday Focal making craziness :)

What is a focal? Does size matter? I think it is a matter of perspective a 5' 3" woman would want a smaller focal than say a 6'2" man. In reality I believe a focal is any bead with enough "presence" to be used alone. A focal doesn't have to be huge it just has to be more.

I spent all of last Sunday (The day I usually take off :) making Focal beads. It was liberating and I had a blast. I usually make small beads in sets. Making a bunch of focals was new and I experimented A LOT :) I love the results, some of them a bit too much and they will be hard to part with I can tell, darn it... I am so infatuated with some of the colors I purchased at Frantz I have gone beyond being a glass nerd and entered the realm of glass freak. Yep full blown glass addiction. My daughter would probably ask for an intervention if she knew what that meant :)

Off to melt something...

my precious...

;)

Hey Graphic Artists Type folks who love glass~ This is a contest just for you!!!!

Etsy Glass Artists Business Card Contest Sponsored by the Etsy Glass Artists Street Team The Etsy Glass Artists (EGA) Street Team is sponsoring a business card design contest. The contest, details for which are online at http://contest.etsyglass.com, invites participants to design the official business card for the Team. The grand prize winner will receive artisan glass items valued at $350. Two runners up will each receive a $10 gift certificate to use in any EGA member Etsy shop. Individuals wishing to enter the contest should create a unique business card design that effectively promotes glasswork on Etsy and conveys the mission of EGA. Submissions will be accepted through the website beginning July 5 and must be received by August 15, 2007. Winners will be announced in late August 2007. Etsy Glass Artists is an Etsy.com Street Team comprised of glass fusers, glass blowers, lampworkers and stained glass artisans dedicated to fostering an appreciation for the handmade glass arts. Etsy.com is an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade. Complete contest rules and technical specifications can be found at the contest website, http://contest.etsyglass.com.

Briar Rose~ I left these a little "rough around the edges" because the rose that inspired them has a wild abandon beauty to it, hmm... Keep them or list them on Etsy? A day with evil divitrifying purple, avacado and copper green who could resist that?
Obviously not me :)

Edp forces some colors to concentrate into a thin center line when they are applied together. I am not sure what the science is behind this, I just know that I really enjoy the results.

I don't have much to say tonight as I am working a different schedule at my job this week and I am pooped!!! I can't wait to get to my glass this week let me tell you :)

Tools for poking and shaping, straightening and tucking. These are a few of my favorite things.Mashers and squashers~ Shaping by hand with the gentle curve of the squeeze tool is one of the best secrets I keep~ The graphite shaper in the lower right is well used too :)
"All the better to see you with my dear"
Pretty purple didymium glasses filter out the bright orange soda flare that occurs when soft glass is melting in the torch. They protect my eyesight and make it easier to see what I am doing in the flame.

Those are the tools I have on my bench every time I torch. They are my "indispensibles" I have others I use and like but not as much as the ones I have shown you here~

Yummy yummy colors~ lately I've been wanting to make more big hole beads :)
Terra and dark Ivory what a great combo this turned out to be ~very rustic Some more squeezies! I just love these pretty, pretty, pretty, SMASH! oh yeah :)
More of the big holes

I know you are all dying to see the second installment in "The Mysteries of Glass" series. No worries, I've taken some more pix and will be telling you about some of my favorite tools next~

Just thought I'd throw out a quick little post with some of this weeks beads to tide you all over.

Stainless steel mandrels or rods in sizes ranging from 1/16th to 7/16ths. This is how they look after I strip the beads off of them. A little bit of leftover bead release here and there, but basically ready for another go round :) Bead release works as a "separator" so that the molten glass does not permanently adhere to the rod as the bead is formed. It should have the consistency of a thick milkshake. Some release can be flame dried and others dry overnight. The type I prefer can be flame dried although I usually let it dry overnight as it seems to be more stable.
After the mandrels are dipped in the bead release I keep them in a mug one of my friends from school made. The mug is filled with sand and I just poke the mandrels in. I also have a couple of soup cans and some drilled stands Matt made for me just for drying mandrels. So I usually have plenty ready to go at any given time :) Dipping mandrels is one of my least favorite things to do.
Ahhh at last some real color. I am easily distracted by all the color. Many many times I have gone out to my studio with ideas I have written down only to be distracted and inspired to go in another direction. Today for example I had a list of Morretti combos I wanted to work from. I went out and promptly cleared the Morretti from the bench. Yep cleared the Morretti from the bench~ out came reichenbach and some compatible friends. I spent my glass time experimenting and playing and I had a blast. I hope everything looks great in the morning. You just can't really tell until everything has cooled off.
So when my thumbnail caught on fire today I was a little surprised. I have a tendancy to use the glass down to the very end and that means I get my fingers really close to the flame. Still the little burst of flame at the end of my thumb was surprising as I also keep my nails fairly short. I was so grateful that I always have a cup of cold water nearby for cooling my tools off so the glass doesn't stick to them. My hand flew into the glass, a little "psst" noise and the drama was over. That little jolt of adreneline was great for creativity lol :)

Ready for a little fun in the sun? Sweet chocolate and turquoise :) yummmeeee~
A cool Forest Green Cube

Well I turned 41 last weekend and I am still alive and kickin'~ TJ and Kendra brought Aleena for a dip in the pool. Is she just the cutest in her hat and bikini or what? We had a wonderful day, Matts' Grandma and Uncle Dave came up from Little Rock (Wa) Mom and Milo came out and Chelsea brought Jaxson over to play with Sammy. Matts' sister Jill even made a surprise appearance. It was great to see everyone. The weather was fabulous, we are back to grey and rainy now though with a thunderstorm here and there just to keep you on your toes :)

My dad sent me a gift certificate for Frantz Art Glass and I can't wait to go and use it!! Boy talk about the "Perfect" gift hehehe... Now I just need to take some time for myself from my crazy schedule so I can use it.

Maybe next week...

Kris

The beads shown above are a custom order I did this week. I was working for Christy and those are her new beads:) She is going to make some incredible bracelets with them and I cannot wait to see! She was truly a joy to work with and I will be doing some more for her this coming week~
I am such a busy busy girl~ Sorry its just a short note I will get all caught up soon with new pix of the patio too!
promises promises...
;)

Sundays are for sleeping in. At least until 6:45 or so, breakfast with the family and the morning news with some excellent coffee and a splash of yummy cream. They are also for catching up on e-mails and looking around at all of the things you missed during the week. I have been so busy lately with Sam and spring break and all of the birthdays and Easter. I guess life does come at you fast :) I am hoping to get some serious quality bead time in on Monday. Mostly because I deserve it. This work is my play.

Layered Greens~ Bullseye metallic green left un-reduced is creamy green I wonder what I can really do with this glass, might be time for some glass play :) More greens~
Magical Kronos
And some more Magic :)
It does not cease to amaze me that all of these creamy blue green beiges are from one rod of glass. Kronos is magical without a doubt.
My persimmon beads made the front page of etsy the other day and got over 700 hits!!! I just couldn't believe it. How fun! I sure appreciate all of the exposure that gave my shop :)
Why have I been so quiet lately? I am busy as heck thats why! Spring is coming and life just seems to rush forward this time of year. Sammy had a program at school last week, it was great. The third and fourth grades sang together. Matt has been working long hours so my time gets focused elsewhere :) I got to see our sweet grandbaby last week, she is growing so quickly!
Sunday morning and again I have so much to do today~ I will sip my coffee for a few more minutes before I jump up and continue on. It was 62 degrees here on Friday a record for us this time of year. It is wonderful to have weather like that it kind of reminds us all that winter won't last forever and spring is coming :) It is raining again today but we did see our first hummingbird this morning. Matt put the feeder out a couple of days ago because they usually start showing up about now.
Have a great day everyone~